Nanometrology Webinar Series

Metrology, the study of measurement, enables researchers to measure the properties and performance of materials and devices and to generate data from laboratory experiments. Over the past 20 years of nanotechnology R&D, many areas of research have required the development of tools, methods, and techniques to characterize and evaluate materials, devices, and formulations. Nanometrology, the study of nanoscale measurement, presents a unique set of challenges due to the small size of the materials, often requiring more sensitive and innovative tools, methods, and techniques to obtain and understand characterization data.

The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) is organizing a webinar series to discuss nanometrology and metrological challenges and advances. The series will consist of an introductory webinar followed by webinars on three topical areas: 1) food, agriculture and environment; 2) nanoscale medical and pharmaceutical products; and 3) electronics. The introductory webinar will be held on Jan. 5, 2024, and the topical webinars will be held on the first Friday of each month at 12 p.m. ET.

Upcoming webinars:

- January 5: An Introduction to Nanometrology: History, State-of-the-Art, and Philosophy

- February 2: Nanometrology for Food, Agriculture, and the Environment

- March 1: Metrology of Nanoscale Medical and Pharmaceutical Products

- April 5: Metrology of Nanoparticles in Electronics

January 5: An Introduction to Nanometrology: History, State-of-the-Art, and Philosophy

This introductory webinar, on the history, state-of-the-art, and philosophy of nanometrology, will set the stage for the nanometrology webinar series. The following topics will be discussed:

• Introduction to the philosophy of nanometrology – how we decide what we measure and how we make decisions on the development of measurement methods; 
• Cutting-edge technologies that enable nanoscale measurements;
• A case study of the history of challenges and advancements with nanoscale SEM.

Speakers:

Elisabeth Mansfield NIST

Andras Vladar NIST

Angela Hight-Walker NIST

February 2: Nanometrology for Food, Agriculture, and the Environment

This webinar will describe measurement challenges when addressing concerns related to nano-enabled agriculture and the environmental fate of nanoplastics. The following topics will be discussed:

• Nano-enabled agriculture;
• Nano-Enabled Delivery of Biomacromolecules for Plant Genetic Engineering; 
• Environmental effects and transport of biodegradable micro- and nanoplastics.

 Speakers:

Gözde S. Demirer California Institute of Technology

Jason C. White Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Douglas Hayes University of Tennessee

March 1: Metrology of Nanoscale Medical and Pharmaceutical Products

This webinar will address measurement challenges in medicine and pharmaceuticals regarding the manufacture, characterization, and targeting of nano-enabled drug products. The following topics will be discussed:

• Continuous manufacturing of nanoparticulate drug products;
• Single-particle fluorescence measurement as a characterization tool for nanoparticles;
• Analytical Characterization of Targeting Ligands on Polymeric Nanoparticles.

 Speakers:

Antonio Costa University of Connecticut, DIANT Pharma

Jean-Luc Fraikin Spectradyne

Roger Pak BioTx Pharmaceutical R&D, Pfizer, Inc.

April 5: Metrology of Nanoparticles in Electronics

This webinar will discuss recent advances and current challenges in metrology related to the synthesis, characterization, and application of nanoparticles in electronics. The following topics will be discussed:

• Device engineering with nanoparticle building blocks;
• Challenges and opportunities for nano-optical characterization and fabrication of  2D material systems;
• High-throughput Synthesis and Characterization of Colloidal Inorganic Nanoparticles. 

 Speakers:

Nicholas J. Borys Montana State University	Emory Chan Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory	Farnaz Niroui Massachusetts Institute of Technology